


A Test Run

by Impala_Chick



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Awkwardness, Dating, F/M, Fluff, Future Fic, Getting Together, Hellhound Jordan Parrish, Meeting the Parents, Post-Canon, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-02
Updated: 2018-04-02
Packaged: 2019-04-17 05:48:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,463
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14182194
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Impala_Chick/pseuds/Impala_Chick
Summary: Lydia comes back to town for winter break, and Jordan is surprised to find out that she wants to go on a date with him. Maybe he'll get a second chance after all.





	A Test Run

**Author's Note:**

  * For [pyrrhical (anoyo)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/anoyo/gifts).



> I combined your prompt with a couple of the tropes you mentioned. I'm glad I got an excuse to write this pairing and I hope you enjoy!

Jordan figured out Lydia came back for winter break before he saw her. The first clue came in the form of a still-warm Americano, sitting on his desk that morning when he got to the station. The second clue was the way he felt. When a supernatural creature entered Beacon Hills, his skin tightened and heat would temporarily bloom in his chest, like he was just on the edge of bursting into flame. Ever since he had embraced being a hellhound, he felt like the unofficial guardian of Beacon Hills. He was only the official guardian when Scott went out of town. 

He tried to remember the last time he had seen Lydia. Maybe summer before last? Lydia didn’t normally come home during college breaks. Jordan heard that Lydia had vowed not to let the pack derail her plans, so each of them had to travel to her when they wanted advice or counsel. It was easy for Jordan to keep up with the pack, since he saw Sheriff Stilinski pretty much every day. However, it would have been in bad taste for Jordan to ask the Sheriff about Lydia, so he just kept his ears perked up for any tidbits he could glean from the pack gossip. 

It was Lydia’s last year of college, Jordan was pretty sure. And, she hadn't gotten serious with anyone else since she and Stiles separated. Other than that, he knew little about her life. He debated texting her, just to say hello, while he sipped his Americano and headed out to his patrol car. He drank it slowly, hoping to make it last longer than normal. It felt comforting to hold it in his hands and think about her waking up early and getting it for him. 

He made his usual rounds. When the coffee he was gone, he parked and typed out a quick message.

_Thanks for the coffee_

A reply text came fairly quickly.

_Glad to know you still like Americanos_. Jordan smiled.

And then he couldn’t resist typing back the obvious reply.

_Some things don’t change._

Lydia didn’t answer for a while, but Jordan wasn’t worried. Either she found him amusing or she found him annoying, but there was no way she would have missed what Jordan was implying. So he waited for her to respond.

There was no reply all shift, and Jordan went home feeling slightly disappointed. He was debating apologizing for being so flippant, when his phone buzzed.

_Dinner tonight at 8. Wear something nice._

Jordan’s heart skipped a beat. Even if this was just going to be an ‘old friends catching up’ dinner instead of a date, Jordan was still excited to see her.

\---

He heard a car horn honk at exactly 8 pm, and he hurriedly locked his apartment door and headed down the stone path to the street. He could see Lydia leaning against her car, and the lamplight illuminated her red hair and sly smile.

“Lydia!” Jordan called, not bothering to hide is excitement. He could see her shake her head at him, but before she could say anything he swept her up into his arms to twirl her around.

“Jordan, it hasn’t been _that_ long, has it?” Lydia said with a laugh as Jordan set her back down. That’s when he noticed her tight fitting black dress. It hugged every curve and highlighted her cleavage. Jordan was glad he chose to wear his favorite tight black skinny jeans and a crisp new button-up, but he almost felt under-dressed. 

“It’s been a long time, Lydia. But you knew that,” Jordan quipped as he slid into her car. Lydia walked around and got into the driver’s seat. She smiled at him for a moment before she put the car in gear.

“You know, you look older,” Lydia remarked as she drove. He watched her hands glide over the steering wheel, and he let her statement linger in the air for a moment before he answered. He assumed that she didn’t mean it in a negative way, but Jordan couldn’t be sure with Lydia. 

“Gee, thanks,” Jordan intoned softly. He felt his palms getting sweaty, and he firmly squeezed his own thighs to try and quell his nerves. He didn’t think seeing her again would be this… intense.

“I look older too,” Lydia offered as she cocked her head to look at him. Her perfectly groomed eyebrow was raised, as if asking a question.  
“Do you feel older?” Jordan asked, trying to get her to say what she actually wanted to say.

“Yes. I don’t think it’d be weird if we dated, now.” She said the words so matter-of-factly, Jordan wasn’t sure if he had even heard her correctly. He took a deep breath before he answered, so that his words wouldn’t come out in a rush. 

“So this is a date?” Jordan asked cautiously. 

“Think of it as a test run,” Lydia replied, a hint of a smile starting at the edge of her mouth. Jordan exhaled, only just realizing he had been holding his breath. He laughed then, and his whole body started to relax.

“Ah, I see. Well I appreciate the honesty,” Jordan said, beaming. Lydia’s thumb was tapping against the steering wheel, so Jordan reached over and stilled her hand with his. Lydia made no move to pull away, so Jordan pulled her hand from the steering wheel and interlocked their fingers. Lydia smiled softly without looking at him, and drove the rest of the way with one hand on the steering wheel and one hand clasping Jordan's.

“So, tell me everything I’ve been missing at school,” Jordan implored. He was suddenly feeling calm and content, and the night had only just begun.

\---

Dinner went surprisingly fast, and so did the whole week. He saw Lydia every day, because lucky for him he was pretty much the only one in town besides Scott, and Lydia had plenty of free time. She would stop by with take-out for lunch at work when he had desk duty, or she’d come over and they would make dinner together after his shift. They caught up on each other’s lives, and the latest Beacon Hills gossip. Jordan felt infinitely curious about Lydia, like he wanted to learn everything about her. He realized he hadn't really known her before. He kept himself from looking at a calendar, because he knew it was all going to come to an end soon enough. 

Lydia brought him coffee one morning at the station, about two days before she was supposed to head back to school. She avoided making eye contact with him, and he knew something was up. He grabbed his jacket and gestured for her to walk outside with him.

“What is it?”

“My mom wants me to have her dinner with her tomorrow,” Lydia said through pursed lips, finally looking at him. She clearly detested having to talk about this, but Jordan wasn't sure why. He nodded, trying to be understanding so that maybe she would feel like opening up to him. 

“It’s my last night. And I wanted to spend it with you.”

_Oh. _Jordan could feel his face falling, so he quickly schooled his expression.__

“That’s okay. We can do dinner tonight and I’ll say my goodbyes.” Jordan was trying to make it easier for her to let him down gently. It wasn’t like they were anything more than friends.  
  
“No, you don’t understand. I want you to come over for dinner with us,” Lydia said in a rush, exasperated.  
  
“You want me to have dinner with you and your mom?” Jordan had totally misread the situation. He almost laughed, but Lydia’s face still looked serious.  
  
“I wouldn’t mind at all,” Jordan added. He had met Mrs. Martin before. Dinner wouldn't be so bad. He tucked his fingers under her chin and lifted her face up so that he could meet her eyes.  
  
“Lydia, it’s not a big deal, honestly.”  


“You say that because you haven’t had dinner with my mom before,” Lydia grumbled. He couldn’t help but laugh. 

__“Maybe so, but I bet I can handle it considering I’ve had dinner with you and I’m sure your mother is not as into Euler-Lagrange equations and the ‘brilliant’ Emmy Noether as you are.”_ _

__“Hey! You said my math talk interested you!” Lydia huffed as she gently hit him in the arm._ _

__“It does! I’m teasing!” Jordan said, his hands held up in surrender. Lydia smiled at him, her arms crossed over her chest. The brilliant morning sun framed her face. The glint in her eyes looked playful, and her lips were quirked up in a small smile. Jordan’s breath caught in his throat as he stared at her._ _

__“You’re beautiful,” he huffed out before he could stop himself._ _

__“And you are ridiculous,” she said as she leaned forward. He leaned down to meet her, and she pressed a soft kiss to his lips. He longed to deepen it, but he held himself back. It wouldn’t due to rush her._ _

__“See you tonight, Deputy,” she whispered before she walked away. Jordan watched her go before he got into his patrol car. It was going to be a long day._ _

\---

Jordan changed at least three times, but finally settled on a simple gray v-neck and blue jeans. This wouldn't be the first time he met a date's parents (it was, in fact, the second time), but this time was different because he didn't even know how Lydia classified them. Maybe she had told her mom that he was an old friend, or a pack mate. 

The more he thought about it as he drove, the more he didn't care what Lydia told her mom about him. Her words about this being a 'test run' came back to him, and he vowed to be as polite and as friendly as possible.

He parked his car on the street, grabbed the bouquet of flowers he bought earlier that day, and resolutely marched up the walkway to the front door.

Before he had a chance to knock, Ms. Martin opened the door.

"Jordan. So nice to see you." She smiled faintly down at him, and Jordan did his best not to look intimidated. She was dressed impeccably in matronly pressed slacks and a blue sweater, and her hand was on her hip. Jordan could not read her expression, but he figured she was not impressed.

"Hello, Ma'am. I brought you these." Jordan thrust the bouquet forward, his palms getting sweaty again. She nodded and took them before she ushered him inside.

"They're lovely, thank you," she said as she walked through the foyer. Jordan followed behind, unsure of what else to do. He noticed Lydia making her way down the stairs, and he sighed with relief. He stopped following Ms. Martin to wait for her.

Lydia reached the bottom of the stairs, and her floral skirt swished around her thighs. She smiled softly at him before she stepped onto her tiptoes and kissed him on the cheek.

"Thanks for coming," she beamed.

He followed her into the dining room, and noticed Ms. Martin carrying food from the kitchen.

"Let me help you with that, ma'am." Jordan quickly walked through the doorway to scoop up the serving dishes, and he saw Ms. Martin smile at Lydia. He was going to chalk that up as a win. He saw that Ms. Martin had put his bouquet in a vase on the table, and he figured that should count as another win. Now that his confidence had been boosted, he was feeling much more comfortable. 

It really mattered to him what Mrs. Martin thought of him, because he knew that it mattered to Lydia, even if she wouldn't admit it. But so far, he didn't think he'd done anything to make Mrs. Martin dislike him.

They sat down to dinner, and Mrs. Martin had Jordan cut the roast. Jordan couldn't help but grin when she handed him the carving knife. He looked over at Lydia, who was grinning too. Maybe tonight was going to be easier than he had anticipated. Then, as he was cutting the roast, Mrs. Martin broke the silence.

"So, Jordan. I understand you're a hellhound."

Jordan paused for a moment. He glanced over at Lydia, seated across from him, and she looked panic-stricken. Where things taking a turn for the worse?

"Mom, you said you wouldn't-" Lydia started to say.

"Come on, Lydia. I haven't even said anything yet." Ms. Martin put down her fork to glare at Lydia.

"Well, it sure looked like you were about to say something," Lydia shot back.

Jordan couldn't help but feel like the tension had just bumped up a notch or two. Maybe it wasn't his place to, but they were basically about to argue about him and he figured he should intervene on his own behalf.

"It's okay, ask whatever you want," Jordan said casually as he kept cutting the roast. He kept his eyes down, afraid to see if either Lydia or Mrs. Martin was annoyed with him.

He heard Lydia inhale sharply, but then silence descended for a heartbeat or two. Jordan just kept cutting, bracing himself for the inevitable interrogation about whether he was a human, and whether Lydia could be safe with him. He had hoped that this conversation would've happened later in the evening.

Finally, Ms. Martin spoke. "Could you light the candle on the table with just your hands?"

Jordan looked up at her, surprised. Lydia started to laugh. That was not the question either of them had been expecting.

"My fire doesn't really work that way. I could light this whole table on fire, though," Jordan explained, a little sheepish. His comment made Lydia laugh harder. He looked over at her, pleased with himself. Then, he looked over at Ms. Martin. She was genuinely smiling.

"See, mom? My boyfriend is funny, too," Lydia said. Her face was still flushed from laughing and her eyes were twinkling with mirth. Jordan could feel his smile splitting his face as he realized what Lydia had said. 

"I like him," Ms. Martin declared. She looked over at Jordan, and patted his arm. Jordan nearly blushed, but he quickly distracted himself by serving them both some of the roast.

After that, the tension completely dissipated and Jordan focused on the conversation and the great food. Lydia kept nudging his foot under the table, and he did his very best to act like he didn't notice, except to occasionally wink at her when Ms. Martin wasn't looking. Jordan's heart felt light, like he would float away any moment. He didn't even care how the rest of the night went, because he had at least made Lydia happy. Scratch that, he made his _girlfriend_ happy.


End file.
